295 

U5 

/ 1 



NITED STATES CONSULAE EEPORTS. 



THE LICORICE PLANT, 



^EPOETS, FKOM THE CONSULS OF THE UNITED STATES, ON THE 

LICORICE PLANT, LICORICE MANUFACTURE, AND LICORICE 

TRADE, IN ANSWER TO A CIRCULAR FROM THE 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 



PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, ACCORDING TO 
ACT OF CONGRESS. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 

1885. 



UNITED STATES CONSULAR EEPORTS. 



THE LICORICE PLANT, 



EEPOETS, FKOM THE CONSULS OF THE UNITED STATES, ON THE 

LICOKICE PLANT, LICOEICE MANUFACTURE, AND LICORICE 

TRADE, IN ANSWER TO A CIRCULAR FROM THE 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 



PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, ACCORDING TO 
ACT or CONGRESS. 




WASHINGTOK: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTINa OFFICE. 
1885. 



136 A 



u'^ 



IjICORTce circular. 



Department of State, 

WasMngtoti, February 10, 1885. 

To : 

Sir : In view of the large import into tbe United States of licorice, 
in its variotis forms — the iniport of the root alone, in 1884, amounting 
to 39,057,000 pounds, valued at $800,000— and believing that the plant 
can be grown in some portions of the United States, many parties in- 
terested herein have requested the Department to secure through its 
consuls resident in the licorice-producing districts, certain information, 
embraced in the following questions: 

1. Does the plant grow wild, or is it cultivated? 

2. What kind of soil and climate are best suited to its growth? 

3. If cultivated, describe the mode and manner of its cultivation. 

4. How long does it require to reach maturity? 

5. Beyond the root is the plant or stalk utilized? 

In addition to the foregoing you are requested to supply as much in- 
formation as possible concerning the plant; the manner in which the 
root is prepared for the market; whether it is subject to any adultera- 
tion in its preparation for the market; the amount exported from your 
district to the United States, where it is raised, prepared, and how it is 
shipped hither, &c., in fine, everything which can be of service to parties 
engaged in the trade, or who contemplate the cultivation of the plant 
in the United States. 

I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

W. HUNTER, 
Second Assistant Secretary. 

(3) 



CONSULAR REPOKTS 



THE LICORICE PLAIN'T, &c 



August, 1885. 
THE LICORICE PLANT. 

BEPORT BT CONSULAR AGENT WHITMAN, OF HJJDDERSFIELD. ENGLAND. 
LICORICE AND ITS USES. 

Before proceeding to give an account of the . cultivation of licorice 
in this district, it may not be amiss briefly to quote from several author- 
ities some facts regarding the introduction of the plant into England, 
its other habitats, uses in the j)harmacop(Bia, &c. : 

Licorice is cultivated throughout the warmer parts of Europe, especially on the 
Mediterranean shores, and its geographical limits travel eastward throughout Cen- 
tral Asia to China, where its cultivation is also prosecuted. 

In the United Kingdom it is grown in Surrey and Yorkshire. The roots for use are 
obtained in lengths of 3 or 4 feet, and averaging in diameter from one-fourth to one 
inch. * * * The root is an article of some commercial importance on the con- 
tinent. 

Stick licorice is made by crushing and grinding the root to a pulp, which is boiled 
in water over an open fire, and the decoction, separated from the solid residue of the 
root, is evaporated in copper pans till a sufficient degree of concentration is attained, 
after which, on cooling, it is rolled into the form of sticks or other shapes, for the mar- 
ket. The preparation of the juice is a widely extended industry along the Mediterra- 
nean coasts ; but the quality best appreciated in the United Kingdom is made in Ca- 
labria, and sold under the name of Solazzi and Corigliano juice. The licorice grown 
in Yorkshire is made into a confection called Pontefract cakgs. 

Licorice in various forms is a popular remedy for coughs, and it is largely used by 
children as a sweetmeat. 

It enters into the composition of many cough lozenges and other demulcent prep- 
arations, and in the form of aromatic sirups and elixirs it has a remarkable eifect 
in masking the taste of nauseous medicines, a property peculiar to glycyrrhizin. 

A considerable quantity of licorice is used in the preparation of tobacco for 
chewing. 

Commercial licorice paste is frequently much adulterated and often contains dis- 
tinct traces of copper, apparently derived from the vessels in which the juice is in- 
spissated. — From, the ninth edition of Encydopcedia Britannica (vol. 14, 2>p. 687, 688), notv 
in course of puilication in England. 

Keferring to the writer's statement as to its growth in Surrey, I 
quote from Murray's Handbook to that county, p. 101 : 

At Mitcham we are in the midst of the great Surrey "flower-farms." The soil of the 
parish is a deep black mold, some hundred acres of which are covered with planta- 
tions of lavender, rosemary, mint, pepi^ermint, licorice, chamomile, and other herbs 
for the use of the great London druggists, perfumers, and distillers. * * * Mitcham 
has been famous for its plantations of medicinal herbs for the last century. 

(5) 



6 THE LICORICE PLANT. 

From information of a reliable character obtained at Pontefract, I 
gather that the plant is cultivated only at Mitcham as regards the 
county of Surrey, and, as appears from the above account, in but a 
small way for near consumption. 

Eeferring to the Pontefract industry, the only important one in the 
British Isles, Murray in his Handbook for Yorkshire, third and last 
edition, 1882 (p. 359), gives the following account: 

Licorice was first cultivated in England in the reign of Elizabeth (Stowe). * * * 
The plant, very graceful, with feathery leaves, is planted in ridges, and does not 
come to perfection until the fourth year. 

The sandy soil suits it, and the fibrous rods are sometimes ten or twelve feet deej). 
These are dug in autumn, and pounded in the following winter; the juice thus ex- 
tracted is boiled down and mixed with gura arable and other ingredients, and mixed 
into large cakes.' * »* * The trade is slowly decayiug since Spanish licorice is 
now imported free of duty. 

As showing how widely diffused the growth of this plant seems to 
have been I find in an account of its introduction into England, given 
by McKenzie's Cyclopaedia (unfortunately I cannot quote the article, 
not having the volume in the town), that it originally came from Ger- 
many. If true, the plant must indeed be a hardy one, since the Ger- 
man winters often rival those of the United States in severity. Further 
on, I shall again refer to the question of climate, naturally a very im- 
portant one to growers in the United States. 

Messrs. Chambers give an excellent account of the plant in their 
popular Encyclopnedia, revised edition 1874 (vol. 6, p. 147), from which I 
may pertinently furnish a few extracts: 

The roots of licorice * * * are a well-known article of materia medica, and 
were used by the ancients, as in modern times, being emollient, demulcent, very use- 
ful in catarrh and irritation of the mucus membrane. 

The roots of the common licorice are chiefly in use in Europe. * * * It is culti- 
vated in many countries of Europe, chiefly in Spain. ' * * The roots are exten- 
sively employed by porter brewers. They are not imported into Great Britain in con- 
siderable quantities, but the black inspissated extract of them (black sugar or stick 
licorice) is largely imported from the south of Europe, in rolls or sticks packed in 
bay leaves or in boxes of about 2 cwt., into which it has been run. 

Licorice is propagated by slips, and after a plantation has been made, almost three 
years must elapse before the roots can be taken up for use. The whole of the roots 
are then taken up. 

Licorice requires a deep, rich, loose soil, well trenched and manured ; the roots 
penetrating to the depth of more than a yard, and straight tap-roots being most es- 
teemed. 

The old stems are cleared off" at the end of each season, and the root-stalks so cut 
away as to prevent overgrowth above ground next year. 

The plant is propagated hj cuttings of the root-stalks. 

The root of the prickly licorice {GlycyrrMza echinata) are used in the same way, 
chiefly in Italy and Sicily, Russia, and the East. The only American species is 
Ghjcyrrhiza lepidota, which grows in the plains of the Missouri. 

CULTIVATION OF LICORICE IN ENGLAND. 

Thinking that something might be learned from persons in the busi- 
ness residing at Pontefract, I visited this place armed with letters of 
introduction to several of the largest manufacturers there. Before en- 
tering on the method pursued for making the so-called " Pontefracjli 
cakes" froin the licorice juice, I, perhaps, cannot do better than describe 
the system of cultivation, soil, &c., as obtained on the spot from three 
practical men, two out of the three being growers of the plant, which 
I was then told had been introduced into Pontefract by the monks, 
whose simple pharmacopoeia embraced licorice root among the large 
number of herbs prepared by them for medicinal purposes. 

The soil about Pontefract is well suited for the growth of the plant, 



THE LICORICE PLANT. 7 

being- of a sandy, loamy character, though from all I could hear in this 
particular, a rich black soil would answer equally as well, the only 
requisite being considerable depth, to allow of the downward growth 
of the roots. 

The beds are prepared by being well trenched, the width of trench and 
bed averaging 3 feet, having the appearance, when finished, of wide 
celery beds. Commencing early in April or late in March, a top dress- 
ing of good stable manure is applied, and then lightly covered over, 
leaving the trench, perhaps, 6 inches below the level of the raised bed. 
Buds and suckers, slips or runners, specimens of which (ISTos. 1 and 
2) are herewith forwarded to the Department, are then lightly stuck 
into the soil by one person — in the field I saw a girl was employed in 
this task — while another follows along with a small spud or (local) dib- 
ber with which holes are made at a distance of some few inches apart, 
and the buds and suckers inserted therein, say 4 inches below the sur- 
face — that is, the tops covered by about 4 inches of soil. 

This forms the double crop, that is, the buds growing downwards 
producing licorice roots (specimen No. 3), the suckers forming buds for 
future planting, width of bed permitting of cross rows of plants. The 
buds and suckers are left in the ground for three years and a half, no 
crop being obtained until the September following the fourth spring. 
The first manuring is sufficient, the plants being weeded as required 
during each summer. They do better in a hot, dry summer after the 
first season, the last five or six wet years before that of 1884 not hav- 
ing i^roved good ones for the crop. 

Frost, it seems, does not harm the plant, though in this matter I judge 
that our very severe New England winters might prove harmful — 
the coldest season in Yorkshire seldom showing a greater degree of 
frost than several degrees above zero, though the ground is often frozen 
solid to some depth. I was assured that the plant is very hardy, had 
no worm or parasite, and gave little trouble in its cultivation. Having 
the trenches virtually idle for the first two years, since the tops of the 
plants do not until the third years show any luxuriance of growth, the 
universal custom is to plant the trenches for the first year with "ash" 
potatoes, described as being a potato with a very small top, since the 
ordinary potato vine would overshadow the staple, which, of course, is 
the grower's prime care. For the second year, cabbages are grown 
between the beds ; but for the third and fourth (that is, six months) the 
trenches must lie fallow, as the licorice plant is then luxuriant, and 
presents in the summer months the appearance of a plantation of young 
ash trees, for instance. 

The grower plants a fresh crop in the spring of each year, and in the 
fall of the same year harvests the one of three years and a half's growth. 
The only labor required beyond this is that the beds in all their stages 
must be kept free from weeds, and in November or December, when the 
sap is out of the plants, they must be cut down. If a winter proves un- 
usually severe the tops of the plants may be protected by a light cover- 
ing of earth. No irrigation is required even in the driest summer. 

GATHERING AND PREPARING THE ROOT. 

The mode of gathering the root is as follows, namely: The trench, 
not the bed, must be dug down to a great depth, thus exposing, without 
injuring, the roots, and the whole plant carefully taken out of the ground. 
The earth from the second trench is thrown into the first, and so on, 
to the other side of the field. 



8 THE LICORICE PLANT. 

The roots are placed in dry cellars, after removing the tops and suck- 
ers, the latter serving for the next spring's crop to produce " bud," that 
is, roots iu their early stage for another year, sand being used to cover 
the roots. After the roots are dry they form the ordinary yellow lic- 
orice for i)roducing the juice of commerce, except a small portion of the 
top of the root next the bud ; this, it appears, is not so valuable as the 
rest, and hence is separated from the root and disposed of to be ground 
into powder (specimens 4 and 5), which is sold to chemists, and by them 
retailed for medicinal purposes, for mixing with stout and beer, and as 
a remedy even for horses iu certain cases of sickness. That ])Skrt of the 
plant above the ground seems to be of no value except for burning. 

The three and a half years' sucker which is gathered with the licorice 
plant has now produced "buds," which are reserved for planting in the 
following spring, and the new suckers also to be planted have been 
]iro]>agated from the old root and are cut off from it before storing it. 
To preserve these '* buds " through the winter they are put either into 
a dry cellar, and, according to McKenzie, covered over with rotten dung, 
or, as in Poutefract, " pied," that is, made into a mound out of doors 
and well covered over with earth or moist sand. 

They seem in this way successfully to endure the cold, wet winters of 
Yorkshire. 

RENT OF LAND, ETC. 

Some particulars I gleaned as to rent of land, &c. : $30 per acre is 
the common rent for licorice land, the usual rent for cereal lands being 
$10 at present. One man and a boy can carry on several acres, but the 
work is hard during the planting season. 

One informant, Mr. David Longstaff, who has been very many years 
in the business, stated that he considered $500 a liberal estimate to 
allow for "laying down" an acre from the start to yield of the first crop. 
He gave rent as $120 out of this, saying that the two crops of ash 
Ijotatoes and cabbages hardly more than recoux^ed the grower for his 
trouble, seed, &c. 

CULTIVATION OF LICORICE IN THE UNITED STATES. , 

Mr. Longstaff spoke most hopefully of the introduction of the plant 
into many of our States, declaring that in Spain it grew wild in great 
abundance, owing to the hot climate, while he never knew it to be in- 
jured by worm, parasite, or frost. 

The rainfall of Pontefract, I should say, is, of course, considerably 
more tlian that of many of our States. 

Mr. Longstaff' corroborated what I had heard from others, that the 
difficulty would be to obtain buds in sufficient numbers to furnish our 
would-be growers with seed. He stated that some time ago he had 
endeavored to obtain five hundred buds for a gentleman in London who 
wished to try some experiment with them, and it was only with con- 
siderable difficulty that he finally got them. 

No one seemed to think there was any way of planting by seed alone, 
at least, from the cultivation of the plant iu England. 

As regards export to the States, Mr. Longstaff' said that all the 
licorice grown in Pontefract was used in this country by chemists, &c., 
and that "Spanish juice" as now admitted, free of duty (it paid duty 
up to ten years ago), was so cheap that no English-grown licorice was 
now crushed and made into the material for Pontefract cakes, &c. In fact, 



THE LICORICE PLANT. 9 

lie thought the cultivatiou of the plaut had decreased in the neighbor- 
hood by 100 acres since the large importation from Smyrna and Spain 
ckity free. 

Though some little jealousy may exist as to explaining the growth, 
&c., of the plant, I was assured by Mr. Longstatt" that the process de- 
scribed to me, and partly witnessed, was a simple one, the great secret 
of the trade being the way in which the Spanish juice is boiled and then 
compounded for being made into cakes, &c. 

MANUFACTURE OF LICORICE IN ENGLAND. 

Gathering from the general request of the Department for informa- 
tion as to the uses of the plant that some description of the method of 
manufacture of the crude product into the sweetmeat may not be un- 
welcome. I will state what I learned from the largest manufacturer 
there, Mr. Hillaby. This gentleman received me very kindly, and, after 
some general information as to the growth of the plant in Pontefract, 
stated that the manufacturers depended for their supplies entirely on 
Spanish and Smyrna juice, samples of which, Nos. and 7, I inclose. 
This extract inspissated from the plant either in its wild or cultivated 
state comes to them in large packing cases of 2 cwt. each, the cases 
securely dovetailed and lined with paper to avoid leakage in case of 
lieat — the juice being really a solid plastic mass of a dark brown color, 
feeling like tar and inclined to run if subject to great summer heat. It 
may, indeed, be run into these cases [ride quoted account). This juice, 
as I gathered from Mr. Hillaby, could not be obtained from the Pontefract 
roots, partly owing to their small size, and partly because it paid growers 
better to sell to chemists, &c., who found a ready market for the roots 
as they were. 

I judge, therefore, that our hot summers would produce equally large 
roots with those crushed in Spain, so that this product, if now largely 
imported into the United States, could be obtained in paying quantities 
from the home growth. 

Understanding this juice to be unadulterated, I presume there is no 
secret in the crushing of the roots to furnish it, though I found no one 
who seemed ready to explain the sort of machine formerly used, and 
all that I can hence offer on this point is found in the quoted accounts 
previously given. 

Explaining very courteously to me that the mixing and boiling pro- 
cess was a secret, Mr. Hillaby was good enough, howev^er, to show me 
through his extensive premises in order that I might see the j)rocess of 
manufacture after the juice was properly boiled and mixed for being 
made into cakes. In the first room I found large masses of the "juice," 
now perhaps more properly called embryo Pontefract cakes, spread on 
heavy tables, and there rolled by women as dough is worked. This 
mass was then rolled out by a machine into thin sheets, laid on trays, 
and removed into a room at a temperature of about 100*-' and there left 
until the following morning, when it was cut out, stamped by machinery 
into various forms, including the well known " Pomfret cake" (sample 
No. 8), which holds its own, with many other novelties of design, such 
as letters of the alphabet, iiuted sticks, &c. 

The sweetmeat, as it has now become, is again subject to a high tem- 
perature to " skin over," and is then packed in card-board boxes, which 
are placed in wooden cases and sent off" to all parts of the British Isles 
and the colonies. 



10 THE LICORICE PLANT. 

Mr. Hillaby's mamifactory is fitted up with machines entirely of his 
own invention for the conversion of the crude product into pomfret 
cakes, &c., to the perfection of which he has devoted the best years of 
his life, the result of wbich is an extensive business and an increasing 
demand for his special make. 

Since writing the above report I have obtained the following addi- 
tional information from Mr. Longstaff : 

(1) The average cost of Spanish or Smyrna juice is about $11 per cwt. In conse- 
quence of tlie low price of foreign juice there is none now made in England. 

(2) The inferior part of the root, called the "chumps," is ground into powder [vide 
sample Nos. 4 and 5]. A much finer powder is made from the finest root (decorti- 
cated), and is used ior medicinal purposes. The main part of the root is sold in 
sticks, of which a considerable quantity is consumed by children. 

(3) The average price of buds and runners is about |3 per thousand. The grower 
must wait until the crop is ready before the buds produced from the runners are 
available, being taken up with the crop. 

(4) If any grower writes to me I will, as you request, do my best lo procure for him 
a sufficient number of buds for an experiment.* 

(5) The approximate cost of an acre of licorice on new ground is about $450, which 
I arrive at as follows : 

Trenching and preparing land .$80 00 

Forty thousand buds, at $2.50 100 00 

Planting and manure 85 00 

Four years' rent and rates (taxes) 125 00 

390 00 
Four years' interest on above, say - '. , 75 00 

Total 465 00 

Average produce of one acre of licorice, 45 cwt., at $14 630 OO 

This calculation is on the assumption that this is the first crop of licorice, the 
cost of preparing the land afterward being about one-half. 
The value of the buds will fully repay the cost of cleaning, taking up, &c. 
The rent is calculated at $30 per acre. 

C. W. WHITMAN, 

Consular Agent. 
United States Consular Agency, 

Huddersjield, April 7, 1885. 



LICORICE IN SPAIN. 

REPORT BY CONSUL MARSTON, OF MALAGA. 

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Department circular 
under date of February 10, 1885, upon the subject of licorice, and to 
make the following answers to the questions contained therein, viz : 

The plant grows wild. It requires wild, low, marshy ground, along 
the banks of rivers. The climate of Spain, say in the provinces Murcia, 
Aragon, and Toledo, is most suitable. It cannot be cultirated so as to 
increase yield. 

In Spain it requires, say, on an average, eight years to reach maturity. 

The plant or stalk is not utilized beyond the root. 

* Mr. Longstaff's address is "David Longstaff, esq., Monkroyd House, Poutefract^ 
Yorkshire, England." 



THE LICOEICE PLANT. 11 

Exports of licorice from Malaga io United Slates in 1882, 1883, and 1884. 



Year. 



Eoot. 



Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. 



Boxes. 

1, 348 \ $32, 841 15 

1, 264 I 30, 152 46 

200 I 4, 770 96 



Boxes. 
3,365 

7;i09 



2,812 



18, 959 



$9. 336 51 
24,371 59 
21, 688 39 



LICORICE ROOT. 

There are several districts in Si)aiu iu which licorice root is obtained 
and large exports are made from Spanish sea-ports to the United States. 

France also consumes large quantities of this root in the manufacture 
of licorice paste, and probably takes nearly as much as the United 
States. 

TLis root is used in the United States principally for svreeteniug iu 
the manufacture of plug tobacco ; it is also used iu the manufacture of 
drugs and in the preparation of medicines. 

It grows wild in the lower lands, in marshy grounds, and on the banks 
of rivers. Probably the best quality obtained in Spain is found in the 
provinces of Aragon, Murcia, and Toledo. The very best Spanish lic- 
orice root is found near the margin of the Ebro, in Aragon. The next 
iu point of quality is obtained near Cordova. Where it once takes root 
it is almost impossible to eradicate it. It grows in many countries, and 
varies in quality according to soil. Spanish licorice differs quite mate- 
rially in the several i)rovinces, the principal variations being that in 
some parts the bark is red, brown, and light color, the inside varying 
from light yellow to brown; the proportions of saccharine and starch 
vary also. Many kinds are fibrous, while others are almost as hard as 
wood. The ground is pulled at intervals of three, four, or live years, 
according to circumstances, by digging trenches, pulling everything 
visible as long as possible until it breaks. 

After a year or two it shows above the ground with a little stem; in 
the spring over this stem there are little flowers. 

From the time this stem appears until the flowers have all fallen this 
root is not in condition to extract, for the sap does not return to the root 
till then. 

Each year, till the ground is culled, the quantity of roots aild tops 
increases, until the ground is unfit for cultivation of any kind. 

It is from SeptemlDer till March that the root is gathered, and goes 
through a process of drying or curing before it is considered marketable, 
the time required for the drying or curing process being from four to 
five months and requires a dry climate. 

LICORICE IN THE SEVERAL COUNTRIES. 

Licorice root is also found and gathered in Asiatic Turkey, Greece, 
Italy, in the Sicilies, &c. In the Sicilies and in Italy very little, if any, 
is exported as root, it being used in the manufacture of roll or stick 
licorice. There is a small section in England which produces a limited 
quantity. The United States also have licorice root in several parts of 
the country, but the quality is not such as to give it value. 



12 THE LICORICE PLANT. 

The quality of root produced in the different countries is as follows, 
viz : Asiatic Turkey, decidedly bitter ; Greece, bitter, but not so bitter 
as Asiatic Turkey ; Sicily, sweet, but less so than Spanish ; Spain, rich 
and sweet ; Italy, richest and sweetest of all. 

EXPORTS OF SPANISH LICORICE. 

Malaga has not up to the present time been considered an impor- 
tant shipping point for root; Seville, Alicante, Barcelona, and Bilbao 
are nearer the producing districts, yet during the past three years a 
marked increase in shipments from Malaga has taken place, as per sta- 
tistics inclosed, while the shipments of licorice paste have materially 
decreased. The value of this root does not in Spain admit of its being 
increased in crop by cultivation, and the quantity gathered depends 
greatly upon the severity or mildness of the winter. If severe it lessens 
the quantity gathered. 

Again, if other crops are good, labor being scarce, less root is gathered ; 
consequently prices are higher. 

MANUFACTURE OF LICORICE PASTE IN SPAIN. 

There are one or two large French establishments in Spain for making 
paste and stick licorice, one in Seville and the other in Saragossa, be- 
sides a few small Spanish concerns also engaged in the manufacture of 
licorice paste. 

H. C. MAESTON, 

Consul. 
United States Consulate, 

Malaga, March 9, 1885. 



LICORICE IN WESTERN ANDALUSIA. 

REPORT BY CONSUL 0PPEN3EIM. OF CADIZ. 

In deference to directions given in Department dispatch dated Feb- 
ruary 10, 1885, I have the honor to forward herewith such data as I 
have been able to gather upon the subject of licorice production in this 
district. 

I regret to have to say that the information is somewhat meager and 
not likely to be of much value in the way of practical guidance to any 
one wishing to introduce the licorice culture ; yet it seems to be all that 
was obtainable in Seville, the point whence most of the root produced 
in this district is exported. 

Here in Cadiz I could find no one at all conversant with licorice 
culture or production, neither could I obtain any hint as to the existence 
of the needed data in agricultural reports or text-books. 

From a practical botanist, at present temporarily absent from this 
city, I expect to obtain data as to the plant's position in the Linnean 
system of classification, its morphology, mode of development, &c., and 
as soon as the information reaches me it shall be forwarded to the De- 
partment to serve as a complement to what is herewith inclosed. 

The plant grows wild in this district and it is believed that it is not 
cultivated in any part of Spain. 

A clayey alluvium produces the best quality of root, but alluvial soils 



THE LICORICE PLANT. 13 

of a sandy character give the heaviest yields. The bottom lands of the 
great Spanish rivers, such as the Ebro, the Tagus, and the Guadalquivir, 
are the plant's usual habitat, and such lauds are presumably more re- 
tentive of moisture than the uplands. 

A warm climate and the absence of severe ground frost seem to be 
conditions necessary to its existence, but data as to the way the plant's 
growth and the annual yield are aft'ected by the variations in the rain- 
fall or temperature are wanting. 

The plant and stalk are^not utilized in this district; they are burnt 
or removed. 

The licorice plant is here looked upon as a weed, and such a vigorous 
one as not to need the interference of man to protect it from the eu- 
croachment of other weeds or other noxious influences. The cropping 
consists in simply cutting the roots at the depth of about 1 yard ; the 
roots are stocked in well-ventilated sheds until dry, and are then 
cleaned and packed into bundles for shipment. 

The yield is stated to vary from 30 to 40 cwt. per aranzada (0.9284 
of an acre), worth usually about 5 pesetas per cwt. The usual mode of 
preparing paste from the root is by crashing, boiling, and evaporating, 
but there are said to be other processes in use which are looked upon 
in the light of valuable business secrets and are jealously guarded from 
would-be inquirers. 

The proportion of paste extracted from a given weight of root varies 
in subjection both to the richness of the root and to the quality of paste 
it is desired to produce. The dried root generally yields from 18 to 20 
per cent, of its weight in paste of the best grade, and from 25 to 28 per 
cent, in that of ordinary quality. 

The licorice root and paste exported from this district to the United 
States are shipped at Seville, both by steamer, via England, and, direct, 
by sailing vessels. The shipments (root and paste) for the last three 
calendar years were as follows : 

1882 $21,683 91 

1883 4(5,028 70 

1884 46,840 02 

ERNEST L. OPPENHEIM, 

Consul. 
United States Consulate, 

Cadiz, March 20, 1885. 



CULTIVATION OF LICORICE IN SICILY. 

REPORT BY CONSUL WOODCOCK, OF CATANIA. 

In answer to circular of February 10, 1885, calling for information 
relative to the licorice plant that grows in this district, I have the 
honor to communicate the following : 

Licorice grows to the height of 2 or 3 feet. It bears a small yellow 
flower. Its leaves are pinnate. The roots grow from 6 to 20 feet in 
length. 

The valley of the river Simeto (ancient Symrethus) in this consular 
district is rich in vegetation. Here not only all fthe cereals grow to 
i:)erfection under the rude culture of the rustic Sicilian husbandman, 
but the wild plants with which the farmer has to contend spring up 
spontaneously. Among the latter may be classed the licorice plant. 



14 THE LICORICE PLANT. 

In response to a question asked of a Simeto Valley farmer if the lico- 
rice^ plant grew upon his farm, lie replied, "God forbid, for of all wild 
vegetation it is the most difficult to subdue." 

If any particle of the root is left in the ground, it grows and sends 
up shoots. It is not cultivated in this district; it grows in a wild state. 
In the fields where it grows are cultivated pot only the various grains, 
such as wheat, oats, barley, &c., and vegetables, but also oranges, lemons, 
and the various other fruits of this climate. Of course this plant is 
injurious to the grains and fruits, but the thorough digging of the 
soil for the roots of the licorice is beneficial to the production of crops. 

The agriculturist here uses the most rustic of implements. His plow 
is that of the old Romans, cousisting of an iron point which simply 
scratches the soil without turning a furrow. In digging for the licorice 
root, the soil is thoroughly turned over and is dug to the depth of from 
1 to 3 feet. 

There are two species of the licorice plant here. The one sends down 
a main root to the depth of from 3 to 6 feet with but few lateral roots; 
the other does not sink so deep into the earth, but creeps beneath the 
surface at a depth of from 6 inches to 2 feet. 

The latter plant is most productive and is the most highly prized. 

Doubtless if the licorice plant were cultivated it would yield larger 
results. The ])eople here think its culture will not pay, hence they are 
satisfied to collect it as produced by nature in its wild state. There is 
no use made of the stem except for fuel. 

The licorice plant groAvs most luxuriantly in the valleys adjacent to 
streams of water. It is, however, found among the foot-hills of the 
mountains, but here grows less luxuriantly. It requires a moist soil 
consisting of a clay loam. The climate must be warm, such as is adapted 
to the growth of oranges, lemons, and the other semi-tropical fruits. It 
cannot endure frosts, or cold, high altitudes. 

The root continues to grow for four or five years, when it is considered 
in the best condition for gathering. The root will continue to grow fdr 
ten or twelve years longer, but it is not considered so rich in juice- 
yielding quality. 

The crop is gathered from the same ground once in four or five years. 
On the average 100 pounds of the root produces 16 pounds of licorice 
paste. During the months of June, July, August, and September, 
and the first part of Ocjtober the root is not disturbed, for the reason 
that it is then in full vegetation, and for the further more important 
reason that the ground is dry and hard-baked by the sun, and it is with 
much difficulty and great exi^ense that it can then be dug. 

As soon as the autumn rains set in in sufficient quantity to saturate 
the ground the root harvest commences. 

During the months aforesaid the manufactories of licorice are idle, 
doing little or nothii;ig in the way of manufa(;ture. In Catania there 
are some seven manufactories of licorice, which employ from twenty to 
forty hands each, and are capable of manufacturing 750,000 jjounds of 
the root. There is also a factory in Paterno ; another in Caltcgeroue, 
and another in Terranova, in this district. 

When the roots are taken from the earth they are bound in bundles, 
and U])on the backs of mules transported from the fields to the facto- 
ries. Here they lie in store for a time in a state of seasoning. 

When the roots are sufficiently cured men and women, with hatchets, 
cut them in bits of from 3 to 6 inches in length. These are then plunged 
into a vat of water and thoroughly washed. They are then crushed in 
a mill of rude construction. It consists of two circular stones of lava. 



THE LICORICE PLANT. 15 

The one is in horizontal position ; tbe other, perpendicular, rests upon 
it. Through the center of the upper stone is an axle, to which is at- 
tached a mule, which revolves it slowly in a circle (cart-wheel like) upon 
the lower stone. A workman with a wooden shovel is constantly era- 
l)loyed in keeping the roots beneath the revolving stone. When the 
roots are sufificiently crushed they are placed with water in kettles and 
boiled for twent,y-four hours. They are then removed from the kettles 
and placed beneath a screw-press, and all the juice is thoroughly 
squeezed out, which runs into a cistern beneath. This juice is pumped 
from the cistern and passed through a sieve into kettles and the boiling 
resumed. The sediment from the strainer is again pressed. 

The contents of the boiling kettles is a second time filtered. When 
boiled to the proper consistency it i? removed to a broad, shallow kettle 
over a slow fire, where workmen with s])ades continue to stir it until it 
becomes dense enough for paste. Then it is removed and placed in 
wooden molds of the size they wish the cakes or by workmen worked 
into little rolls or sticks. When cold and hard the cakes are wrapped, 
in paper and boxes for export. 

The little rolls or sticks of licorice are placed upon shelves to dry. 
When they become perfectly dry and hard they are packed in laurel 
leaves in boxes. 

In preparing the root for market, women with knives scrape off the 
bark and then cut it into bits of one-half inch or longer in length, as 
the purchaser may wish. These are then dried in the sun and placed 
in bags for export. 

In response to my question a manufacturer answered that licorice 
paste may be adulterated with starch, rice flour, wheat flour, flour of 
the carraba (locust bean), or even wood ashes; but he expressed the 
opinion that the manufacturers of Catania could not be so recreant to 
honesty as to resort to these base methods. 

The Chamber of Commerce of Catania report that in the year 1883 
440,920 pounds of the root were prepared by the manufacturers and ex- 
ported to the United States, in value amounting to $11,580, and that 
79,126 pounds of the root were manufactured and exported to France, 
in value amounting to $2,079, the total export for the year being 520,080 
pounds of the root manufactured, valued at $13,659. 

As shown by my records for the year 1884, there were exported to 
New York of licorice paste 112,740 pounds, valued at $14,965.85, and of 
the root 14,047 pounds, valued at $567.24; the total value of the article 
exported for the year being $15,533.09. 

ALBERT W^OODCOCK, 

Consul. 

United States Consulate, 

Catania, March 12, 1885. 



CULTIVATION OF LICORICE IN PORTUGAL. 

REPORT BY VICE CONSUL-GENERAL WILBOR, OF LISBON. 

I have had the honor to receive your circular dated February 10, 1885, 
propounding interrogatories in relation to the growth and cultivation 
of licorice. 

I beg to report that licorice grows in Portugal, in a few districts, 
spontaneously, but no use whatever is made of it. Such of the various 



16 



THE LICORICE PLANT. 



preparations of tliat root as are used in this Kingdom are entirely of 
foreign origin. 

The licorice root and paste exported from Portuguese ports are orig- 
inally sent hither from Spain for shipment. 

J. B. WILBOE, 
Vice and Deptity Consul- General. 

Consulate-General of the United States, 

Lisbon, March 12, 1885. 



CULTIVATION OF LICORICE IN ASIA MINOR. 

REPORT BY CONSUL UTEVUNS, OF SMYRNA. 

In acknowledgment of circular under date of February 10, 1885, call- 
ing for information concerning licorice root, how it is grown, prepared 
for market, &c., I have the honor to report as follows: 

The root grows wild. Being indigenous, it requires no cultivation. 
The best root is found on the borders of streams, creeks, and rivers, 
where the soil is sandy but subject to overflow. 

The climate must be mild, as the quality is affected by frost. The 
plant reaches maturity in three years ; sometimes, under favorable con- 
ditions of soil and climate, in two years. Once it has taken root, it is 
very tenacious of life, growing spontaneously, and although the ground 
be dug over every two or three years it will continue to reproduce itself. 
The plant itself, which attains to a height of from 3 to 4 feet, is not 
utilized, the root alone possessing value. The root does not take a deep 
hold of the soil, seldom reaching below 2 feet, and is easily extracted. 
The best time for digging is when the sap is in the root, say during the 
months of October, November, and December. After being dug it is 
carefully dried, to prevent mold, and kept from freezing, until it is 
perfectly dry. It is then packed in bales of 300 pounds weight, and 
subjected to hydraulic pressure to reduce space and thus save freight. 
Great care must be observed in these processes, as the slightest moisture 
is hurtful, and if one bale in a cargo is injured the injury is communi- 
cated to the whole. The prepared root must be free from the slightest 
blemish, as other wise it is well nigh valueless. Hence no adulteration 
is possible. 

A very large proportion of the root produced in this province finds 
a market in the United States, being conveyed thither in sailing ves- 
sels flying the Italian and Austrian flags, at an average freight of $4.80 
per ton of 2,240 pounds. The exports of licorice root from this consular 
district to the United States during the twelve years were as follows : 



Tear. 


Quantity. 


Value. 


Tear. 


Quantity. 


Value. 


1873 


Cwt. 
44,015 
63, 646 
81, 598 
42, 112 
112, 307 
184, 405 


$96, 831 
138, 464 
168, 529 
80, 543 
170, 274 
398, 672 




Owt. 
127, 061 
214, 628 
264, 177 
193, 690 
288, 458 
269, 732 


$267,939 
445 886 


1874 


1880 


1875 




701, 781 


1876 






1877 


1883 


649, 057 
618, 100 


1878 









THE LICORICE PLANT. 17 

The quality of the root produced in this provinc^is superior to that 
found iu Greece or Syria, and perhaps to that of any other country. 

The very best grown is at JVlenemen, a place situated about 23 miles 
from Sn)yrna, in the valley of the river Hermus, and on the line of the 
Cassaba Eailway. 

In the neighborhood of Alascheir (ancient Philadelphia), the lu^esent 
terminus of this railway, large districts are given over to the growth of 
licorice. The largest yield is, however, in the neighborhood of Sakia, 
on the line of the Ottoman Eailway, which at this place skirts the val- 
ley of the Meander. This territory is monopolized by the wealthy 
English firm of McAndrews & Forbes, who make heaw shijmients to 
the United States. 

The Alascheir territory is now largely controlled by an American 
manufacturing company, of which John H. Leeds, of New Haven, Conn., 
is manager. The energy and enterprise shown by Mr. Leeds iu getting 
possession of this i^roperty are worthy of emulation by other American 
capitalists. He has also secured extensive licorice-producing grounds 
in Syria, and is no longer at the mercy of the one or two firms who 
formerly monopolized the i^roduct in this region. 

It is now^ only about fifty yeais since the fact became known that 
licorice root was growing wild on the banks of the rivers which drain 
the fertile regions of Asia Minor. A German archaeologist made the 
discovery. Some time alter an enterprising English resident of Smyrna 
secured from the Turkish Government the sole right for a series of years 
to dig the root, which then, as now, was growing for the most part 
upon land owned by the Government. He realized a fortune out of the 
monopoly, and then sold it to the English firm before mentioned. The 
concession expired a number of years ago, and has not been renewed ; 
but until the advent of Mr. Leeds, about eighteen months since, the 
monopoly was maintained against all eflbrts of individuals to break it. 

1 see no reason why licorice may not be produced in California, New 
Mexico, Texas, in fact, all the Southern States of the Union, with the 
exception of those in the northern tier. "Whether it could be produced 
in competition with this region is })erhaps a question, inasmuch as the 
labor of digging it is considerable, and labor of the kind required can 
be had here at one-iourth the cost of the cheapest labor in the United 
Statues. 

As I have said, however, when once the plant is well rooted its eratli- 
cation is difficult, so rank is its grow th and so tenacious is its life, and 
it may be experiment would prove that its introduction would be at- 
tended with highly beneficial consequences. 

The amount of the annual product in Asia Minor is certainly limited, 
and as the demand for it, in one form or another, by other countries is 
increasing rapidly, some new region must soon or late be discovered or 
created in order to meet this demand. 

1 hope to be able in a few days to gather more facts bearing ujjou 
this subject, which 1 shall embody in a supplementary report. 

W. E. STEVENS, 

Consul . 

United States Consulate, 

8myrna, March 27, 1885. 
136 a 2 



18 THE LICORICE PLANT. 



SYRIAN LICORICE ROOT. 

REPORT BY CONSVL ROBESON, OF BEIRUT. 

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a circular from the 
Department of State rtatexl February 10, requesting certain information 
about licorice root. I beg now to transmit the following answers to the 
questions coutaiued in said circular: 

The licorice plant grows wild. 

A temperate or warm climate with a rich, deep soil are best suited to 
its growth. 

The licorice plant is not cultivated in Syria or elsewhere to my knowl- 
edge. 

Licorice root is only considered of commercial value after it has at- 
tained from three to five years' growth. As a rule, the ground is dug 
over every three or four years, according to the condition of the plant. 
In the autumn and winter the soil is remov^ed, when the root is gathered 
and dried in the open air. 

Beside the root, no part of the plant is considered of commercial value 
except in a few localities, where the stalk is used for fuel. 

Much care is required in handling and watching the root during the 
period of drying to prevent it from molding or rotting, frequent turning 
being necessary. After the root is thoroughly dry, which is not before 
the July or August following, it is conveyed on camels or mules to some 
convenient |)oint for shipment and there pressed into bales of suitablesize 
for exportation. It is not subject to adulteration either during or after 
its preparation for the market. The quantity of licorice root declared 
at this consulate for shipment to the United States during the year 18S4 
was 936,980 pounds, valued at $10,125.35, but I am informed that there 
were shipments of licorice root from this district to the United States 
invoiced at the Smyrna consulate. Licorice grows in some parts of the 
United States, but has never been utilized, nor is it likely to be soon, as 
the cost of labor is so much more than in Syria, where the wages re- 
ceived for digging and collecting the root average from 10 to 20 cents a 
day; a^lults and children are employed. I am of the opinion that mu(;h 
of the southern part of the United States is well adai)ted for the growth 
of li.Gorice root, but persons who understand the nature of the plant as- 
sert that it is impossible to get rid of it after it gets hold of the soil, and 
where the licorice root grows land is useless for agricultural purposes, 
and has to be abandoned. It is found in large quantities in the Eu- 
phrates and Tigris Vallevs. 

JOHN^ T. BOBESON, 

Consul. 

United States Consulate, 

Beirut, May 27, 18K5. 



SYRIAN LICORICE ROOT. 

REPORT BT CONSULAR AGENT OOIDAN, OF ALEXANDRETTA. 

lil^The plant grows wild, and is not cultivated. All kinds of soil suit 
the growth of this root, the sandy, argillous, and calcareous, as well 
as the dark and reddish ground; but the best suited soils are the damp 
ones, the places which daring winter are covered with water. The best 
soil of all is the smooth and fertile grounds of the plains not exposed 



THE LICORICE PLANT. 19 

to rigid weather, and the bauks of rivers. A cold climate is not suited 
to its growth, aud the root never grows on hills where the snow falls 
in winner. 

It requires three years to reach matnrity. The first year after the 
ground has been dug the root of the new plant is very thin and con- 
tains a milky vegetable matter, which, in the second year, is formed 
into the thick yellow matter of the licorice, but not sufficiently strong 
to resist the air and sun. 

The plant or stalk is not utilized. 

The root is not subject to any adulteration in its preparation for the 
market. It is dug during the end of the winter and the spring, ex- 
posed to the sun to dry, and when dry enough it is pressed by hydrau- 
lic presses in bales and shipped for export. 

STEPHEN J. COIDAN, 

Consular Agent. 

United States Consular Agency, 

Alexandretta, May 13, 1885. 



SYRIAN LICORICE ROOT. 

REPORT BT CONSULAR AGENT POOHE, OF ALEPPO. 

In answer to the circular of the Department of State relative to 
licorice root, which you have been pleased to transmit to me, I have 
the honor to inform you that, from all the information I could gather 
in the vicinity of Aleppo about this plant, it results that it is not culti- 
vated in any part and grows wild in a large tract of this villayet. 

As to the second question, relative to the land, [ must intorm you 
that this plant prefers the plains where the soil is deep and red, although 
it grows as well in the other lands in the east and the west of this prov- 
ince, where the climate is temperate. 

The reproduction of this plant is made with great rapidity by its 
energetic roots as well as by its seed. 

The root only is utilized. As to the plant itself, it is of no use. The 
plant that grows in the vicinity of towns is used for the heating of 
ovens. The cultivation of this root in this province, for exportation, 
dates from twenty years ago, and was inaugurated by a French manu- 
facturer, Mr. Vidal, who established a factory in Autioch for the prep- 
aration of the root, which, after being dug out of the ground aud dried, 
used to be scraped, made into faggot packages of three difterent sizes, 
and exported to France and Spain, where they used it for the prepara- 
tion of the drink called "coco" (licorice- water) and for pharmaceutical 
purposes. This enterprise, after some years of existence, failed, owing 
to bad management. 

For a long time this commerce was abandoned, when a few years 
since some firms of Smyrna, who deal in this article with the United 
States, sent their agents to Antioch and began, in the jdaius which 
surround this city, to cultivate this root, which is exported in its wild 
state, either to Smyrna or direct to America. The exports have been 
simultaneously made at the ports of Suedich and Alexaudretta. The 
cultivation of this root — which is considered to be the plague of the 
lands where it grows, as the latter cannot be used for any other culture 
and to clear the same of it would require a long, assiduous, and very 
expensive work — has become an important resource for this prjvinco 



20 THE LICORICE PLANT. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ^ 



022 264 930 4 



-whicL previously used but a ^ eiy small quautity of 
erage known under the name of "coco." The right to root up this 
plant irom the lands where it grows is bought from the pro])rietors for 
a certain number of years, as the reproduction, notwithstanding the 
uprooting of the plant, is effected very rapidly. As soon as the first 
rains of November fall, and the plant becomes completely dry, and the 
sap is reabsorbed by the roots, workmen begin with spades to pull this 
root out. This article, in a damp condition, is heai)ed up in stacks on 
a bed of pebbles placed on sloping ground, which allows the rain- 
waters during the winter to run easily down. To prevent the overheat- 
ing and the molding of the root in question, these stacks, in the month 
of February, are turned upside down. This expensive operation is re- 
peated at ditierent times until the month of June, at which time, the 
drying being complete, the transi)ort to the port of shipment is made 
on camels' backs. The firm of Alexander Sidi, of Smyrna, which has 
effected the most important purchases in this year, for the account of 
an American company, has just established at Alexandretta presses 
moved by steam, which will be used for the pressing of the licorice root. 

The quantity which will be exported this year from the ports of Sue- 
dich and Alexandretta can be estimated at about 6,000 tons, at an ap- 
proximate value of $192,000. 

r. POCHE, 

Consular Agent. 

United States Consular Agency, 

Aleppo, May 14, 1885. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRES 
022 264 930 4 



Conservation Resources 
Lie-Free® Type I 



